Volume XXV, Issue I
Educating Women to Excel
September 5, 2007
ON THE
INSIDE:
Campus News
p. 2
Editorial
p. 3
Campus Activities
p. 4
WEATHER
TODAY: Sunny. Low
60, High 95.
Thursday: Sunny. Low
67, High 94.
Friday: Partly Cloudy.
Low 66, High 91.
Saturday: Partly
Cloudy. Low 68, High
90.
Sunday: Partly Cloudy.
Low 73, High 92.
Monday: Partly Cloudy.
Low 70, High 90.
Tuesday: Scattered T-
Storms. Low 66, High
88.
Source: www.weather,
com
Information retrieved
l\ies. Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Studying Abroad: Defining and Living Your Own
Experience
By: Erin Etheridge
Staff Writer
By now we have all
discovered that the ori
entation theme for this
year's freshmen class
was "Your Experience:
Define It; Live It."
Conversations with
numerous students and
faculty members, as well
as my experience as a
student in Costa Rica this
summer, have led me to
conclude that this same
theme could apply to
Meredith's study abroad
programs as well.
According to the
Meredith Office of Study
Abroad's website, the
benefits of studying
abroad are three fold:
successful study abroad
students can gain aca
demic credit, reap career
benefits «md develop as
individuals through their
time overseas.
The college offers
summer study abroad
opportunities in Austria,
Costa Rica, Denmark,
France, Italy, Spain,
Switzerland and the
United Kingdom.
Through these programs,
Meredith students can
study subjects ranging
from interior design in
Denmark to fashion in
France.
Summer study abroad
programs last anywhere
from a three-week tropi
cal ecology and conserva
tion excursion in Costa
Rica to an eleven-week
historical and architec
tural expedition in Italy,
Switzerland, and the
United Kingdom.
Jxmior Joy Strickland,
who participated in the
aforementioned program,
remarks that her best
experience while abroad
this summer was discov
ering how caring and
imderstanding the people
were. She says, "I could
communicate effectively
without speaking ttie lan
guage."
According to Kevin
Morrison, the Associate
Director of Study
Abroad, Strickland was
one of 118 Meredith stu
dents who participated in
study abroad programs
this summer.
If spending a sum
mer abroad will not meet
your academic needs,
Meredith also offers
programs during which
students study abroad
for a semester or even
a year. More adventur
ous women can choose
from destinations such as
Austria, China, France,
Ireland, Mexico, Spain
and the United Kingdom.
By choosing to spend
a semester abroad, a
Meredith student has the
opportunity to immerse
herself in Chinese lan
guage and culture in
Hong Kong, liberation
theology on the United
States-Mexican border
and art history in Paris.
Other approved Meredith
semester study abroad
programs include stays
in Argentina, Australia,
Chile, Costa Rica, Kenya,
Mexico, New Zealand
and the Turks and
Caicos.
Morrison states that
during the 2006-2007
school year, 31 Meredith
students studied abroad
for either the fall or the
spring semester, and
one yoimg woman spent
the entire academic year
abroad.
Cassie Drake, a jimior
who studied in Angers,
France during the fall
semester of her sopho
more year, remarks that
residing with a French
family during her stay
was ^e best part of her
study abroad experience.
She asserts, "Through my
French family, I got to
experience a lot more of
the culture."
Opportunities also
exist for students inter
ested in working, vol
unteering, or interning
abroad through various
organizations, including
the British Universities'
North America Club,
the Peace Corps, and
Internships International.
Study abroad oppor
tunities are not lim
ited only to students.
Meredith faculty and
staff members can and do
participate in numerous
study abroad programs.
Many of the college's
trips are led by Meredith
faculty members, who
assist in various ways,
from handling logistics to
teaching classes.
Meredith has also
partnered with universi
ties in China and Bolivia
to offer faculty exchange
programs. Research
opportunities are avail
able for professors
through various grants as
well.
Morrison offers this
advice to anyone con
sidering a study abroad
experience: "Plan early!
Think about what you
want to accomplish aca
demically and socially."
Strickland supplements
Morrison's opinion by
declaring, "Plimge right
in! If you think it's too
long, it's probably not
long enough."
Morrison also states
that consulting with an
academic advisor as well
as a study abroad advi
sor will help you design
a program specific to
your curriculum needs.
If you feel that finan
cial issues may hinder
your opportunities to
study abroad, numer
ous scholarships and
grants are at your dis
posal. Typical Meredith
study abroad scholar
ships for summer and
semester programs range
from $500 to $1,500.
Applications are avail
able on Meredith's study
abroad website and
in the Office of Study
Abroad.
Student loans are also
available for summer
and semester programs.
Most important, any
scholarship or financial
aid package that you
have at Meredith will be
applied to your semester
study abroad expenses.
If you are interested
in any of the study
abroad opportunities
that Meredith has to
offer, feel free to stop
by the Office of Study
Abroad, located in 124
Joyner Hall. You can
also contact Meredith's
Director of Study
Abroad, Professor
Betty Webb, by email at
or
by phone at (919)-760-
2307.
Abroad Cent, on pg. 4